Raid on Franklin Pierce Memorial Hospital
The Raid on Franklin Pierce Memorial Hospital was a raid conducted by the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment to rescue six harnessed kids, particularly Benjamin Mason. Prelude During the early stages of the Invasion of Earth, Ben Mason was captured by the Espheni and harnessed. After learning of his fate, his father and older brother became determined to find and rescue him. With the help of Margaret, the Masons tracked Ben to Franklin Pierce Memorial Hospital where he and other harnessed kids slept by night while they were used by Skitters to collect scrap metal during the day. Doctor Michael Harris was able to successfully come up with a way to remove harnesses as tested upon Rick Thompson while 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment recon teams kept an eye on the hospital. Shortly after the drugs needed to get the kids through the de-harnessing process were gathered, recon teams discovered that the other group of kids kept within the hospital had not returned and it was realized that they didn't have long before Ben's group was moved. Having been in the hospital for some time when she was 16 due to cancer, Margaret was able to draw an accurate map of it while the Masons attempted to come up with a way to enter by stealth and kill the Skitter guarding the harnessed children while it was sleeping rather than engaging in a full-scale battle with all of the Skitters in the hospital and the Mech guarding it. Hal eventually hit upon the idea of using Rick's dead harness strapped to his back as a Trojan Horse to sneak in disguised as a harnessed child. Based off of Mike Thompson accidentally knocking a captured Skitter unconscious, Doctor Anne Glass was able to devise a way to silently kill a Skitter by stabbing it in its nerve center through the soft pallet of its mouth. Battle Approaching the hospital, the team made up of Tom Mason, Hal Mason, Margaret, Anthony and Dai took cover from a patrolling Mech. Once Tom was sure Hal was clear on the plan and the directions he had been given to Ben's room, Tom gave him fifteen minutes before he went in after his son. After the Mech passed on its patrol path, Hal stealthily slipped into the hospital through the ER and made his way through the corridors, avoiding a Skitter he spotted. Finally, Hal spotted six harnessed kids, including Ben, being led by another Skitter. Taking on a vacant look, Hal stepped into line behind his brother and the Skitter led the kids into the room where they all lay down to sleep. Despite looking directly at Hal and even touching him as they lay in a group, the Skitter never detected that the harness Hal was wearing was dead and went to sleep. Outside, Tom grew worried when Hal hadn't signaled them after twenty minutes and decided to go in himself. With the Mech patrolling too close to the ER entrance, Margaret revealed that she knew another way in and led Tom through the nurse's locker room as Dai and Anthony stayed behind. In Ben's room, Hal waits until the Skitter is safely asleep before attempting to kill it using his pocket knife. After briefly hesitating when the Skitter moved slightly, Hal goes to try again, but Ben wakes up. When Hal calls out to Ben, the Skitter wakes up and Hal quickly stabs his knife into the soft pallet of its mouth, but he misses its nerve center. As Hal and the Skitter struggle, the harnessed kids grab onto Hal, attempting to help the Skitter fight him. Tom and Margaret enter the room, but are unable to help at first as Hal is in the way. Finally, the Skitter knocks Hal to the ground, allowing Tom to shoot it in the chest with a crossbow arrow, wounding it. With the Skitter wounded and weakened, Hal tackles it to the ground, reaches into its mouth and is finally able to hit its nerve center with his knife, killing it before it can signal the Mech or wake any of the other Skitters in the hospital. With the Skitter dead and all of the other Skitters unaware of their presence, Hal is able to signal Dai and Anthony who help get the kids out safely through the room's window and then back to the 2nd Mass base. Aftermath Following the successful raid, Doctor Anne Glass performs the de-harnessing procedure on the six kids. Though one dies, the other five are successfully de-harnessed, including Ben Mason. Some of the rescued kids eventually lose their spikes and return completely to normal, but Ben does not, presumably as he was harnessed longer. The presence of the de-harnessed kids also causes paranoia to spread through the 2nd Mass. Category:Season 1 Category:Battles